The main objectives of this research are to: (1) develop, via self-reports, the relative rates of violence among former mental patients, ex-offenders, and the general population; (2) identify the situational factors surrounding such violence; (3) examine differences in the effect of situational and other variables on violence among ex-patients, ex-offenders and the general population; and (4) assess the utility of an impresssion management theoretical framework in understading which situational factors may impact upon violence and aggression. Ultimately, this research will contribute to both the substantive knowledge of violence and aggression and the more appropriate use of predictions of violence in a variety of mental health and criminal justice settings.